Directions—(Q. 1–15) Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it. Certain words are printed in bold to help you to locate them while answering some of the questions.

The Sun, while going on his daily rounds saw a princess and fell in love with her. Whenever he could slip away from the heavens he would take human form and go down to the princess to spend some time with her. The princess too became quite fond of him and would wait for him to come. One day the Sun decided to send her a blood-red ruby as a token of his love for her. He put the gem in a silk bag, and calling a crow that was flying past, asked the bird to deliver the gem to his beloved. Crows had milky white feathers in those days and it was considered auspicious if a crow came anywhere near you. So the Sun was pleased that he had found a crow to deliver the gem. As the crow sped through the sky with the silken bag, the aroma of food lured him. Looking down the crow saw that a wedding feast was in progress, and immediately it was distracted from its mission. Food was one thing it could never resist !

Alighting on a tree nearby, it hung the bag on a twig and went off to find some food. While the crow was feasting, a merchant passing by saw the bag on the tree, and knocked it down with a pole. When he opened the bag and saw its contents he almost swooned in joy. Quickly pocketing the ruby, he filled the bag with dry cow dung that was lying there, and then deftly returned the bag to the branch. It was all done so quickly that the crow missed all the action. After having its fill, it flew up to the tree, and picking up the bag took it to the person it was intended for. The princess was in the garden. When the crow gave her the bag, she took it eagerly, knowing that it was from the Sun. But when she saw its contents she reeled back in shock and anger. Believing that it was the Sun’s way of telling her that he did not care for her, she flung the bag away, rushed to her palace, and never came out again. When the Sun learnt of what had happened he was furious.
So great was his anger that when he turned his scorching gaze on the crow, its feathers were burned black. Its feathers have been black ever since. The ruby did not stay with the man who stole it. It fell out of his pocket and rolled into a deep pit. Men have been trying to dig it out ever since. Many precious stones have been found in the process, making Myanmar one of the richest sources of rubies and sapphires, but the ruby that the Sun sent to the princess is yet to be found.

1. What did the Sun send for the princess as a token of his love ?
(A) He sent her the crow
(B) He sent her dry cow dung
(C) He sent her a red ruby
(D) He gifted her the city of Myanmar
(E) None of these
Ans : (C)

2. Why did the princess fling the gift away ?
(A) She did not like rubies
(B) The crow was known to bring bad luck
(C) She had found cow dung in the bag
(D) She thought the Sun was playing a cruel joke on her
(E) She had wanted the Sun to personally deliver it
Ans : (C)

3. What led to the discovery of precious stones in Myanmar ?
(A) Humans discovered the stones in their search for the lost ruby
(B) The crow spread the news of the lost ruby
(C) The princess went in search of the lost ruby and discovered other precious stones
(D) The merchant went in search of the ruby that fell off his pocket
(E) The merchant’s clumsiness led to the discovery of precious stones
Ans : (A)

4. While on its way to the princess, the crow was distracted by—(A) The merchant calling out to him(B) The wedding that was taking place below(C) The ruby that the Sun sent for the princess(D) The temptation of the smell of food(E) The huge crowd at the weddingAns : (D)

5. Why did the Sun send his gift for the princess along with the crow?(A) The princess loved crows(B) The crow was the only bird available at the time(C) The crow was considered to be an auspicious bird(D) The crow knew where the princess lived(E) The Sun trusted the crowAns : (C)

6. The joy of the merchant on finding the ruby was short lived because—(A) He did not succeed in stealing the ruby(B) The ruby fell out of his pocket(C) The crow returned just in time and caught him red handed(D) He soon discovered many more precious stones(E) None of theseAns : (B)

7. How did the crow get its black colour ?(A) The crow was punished by the Sun for its clumsiness(B) The crow was burned black by the scorching gaze of the angry Sun(C) The crow was not considered auspicious any more(D) The crow was cursed by the merchant(E) None of theseAns : (B)

8. What could be an appropriate title for the story ?(A) The Careless Black Crow(B) Myanmar and its Mineral Riches(C) The Sun and the Princess(D) The Depressed Princess(E) The Sun and the RubyAns : (C)

9. What was the crow’s mission ?(A) To deliver the gift to the princess(B) To attend the wedding(C) To make the Sun angry(D) To keep the princess in her palace(E) To protect the princess from the harmful SunAns : (A)

10. What message did the princess get after opening the bag ?(A) That the Sun truly loved her(B) That the crow was an evil bird(C) That the crow was playing a joke on her(D) That the Sun did not love her anymore(E) That the cow dung was a token of the Sun’s love for herAns : (D)

Directions—(Q. 11–13) Choose the word which is most nearly the SAME in meaning as the word printed in bold as used in the passage.

Directions—(Q. 16–25) Read each sentence to find out whether there is any grammatical error in it. The error, if any, will be in one part of the sentence. The letter of that part is the answer. If there is no error, the answer is (E) i.e., ‘No error’. (Ignore the errors of punctuation, if any.)

16. When we (A) / reached the shops, (B) / we find that (C) / they were all closed. (D) No error (E)Ans : (C)

Directions—(Q. 31–35) In each question below four words which are lettered (A), (B), (C) and (D) have been printed, of which, one word may be wrongly spelt. The letter of that word is the answer. If all the four words are correctly spelt, mark (E) i.e. “All Correct” as the answer.

Directions—(Q. 36–40) Rearrange the following six sentences (1), (2), (3), (4), (5) and (6) in the proper sequence to form a meaningful paragraph; then answer the questions given below them.1. At first he got scared, but then he thought, “I have never worshipped her that is why I am not able to get anything from my land.”2. One day unable to tolerate the summer heat, he went to rest under a big banyan tree.3. He rushed to his village and placed his humble offering of milk in a bowl before the snake.4. Vishnu Raman was a poor Brahmin and a farmer by profession.5. The next day when he returned, he was rewarded with a gold coin in the bowl he left behind.6. Just as he was preparing to lie down he saw a huge Cobra swaying with his hood open.

36. Which of the following should be the SECOND sentence after the rearrangement ?(A) 2(B) 3(C) 5(D) 4(E) 6Ans : (A)

37. Which of the following should be the FIRST sentence after the rearrangement ?(A) 1(B) 4(C) 6(D) 3(E) 5Ans : (B)

38. Which of the following should be the FOURTH sentence after the rearrangement ?(A) 5(B) 6(C) 2(D) 1(E) 4Ans : (D)

39. Which of the following should be the FIFTH sentence after the rearrangement ?(A) 6(B) 4(C) 3(D) 2(E) 5Ans : (C)

40. Which of the following should be the SIXTH (LAST) sentence after the rearrangement ?(A) 4(B) 2(C) 3(D) 5(E) 6Ans : (D)

Directions—(Q. 41–50) In the following passage, there are blanks, each of which has been numbered. These numbers are printed below the passage and against each, five words are suggested, one of which fits the blank appropriately. Find out the appropriate word in each case.

Once upon a time there lived a peacock and a tortoise in close proximity and they became the best of friends. The peacock lived on a tree on the …(41)… of a stream which was the home of the tortoise. It was a daily …(42)… for the peacock to dance near the stream after he had a drink of water. He would display his great plumage for the amusement of his friend. One unfortunate day, a bird-catcher who was on the …(43)… caught the peacock and was about to take him away to the market. The unhappy bird begged his captor to allow him to bid his friend the tortoise good-bye, as it would be the …(44)… time he would see him. The bird-catcher gave in to his request and took him to the tortoise. The tortoise was in tears to see his friend held …(45)….The tortoise asked the birdcatcher to let the peacock go; but he laughed at the request, saying that it was his means of livelihood. The tortoise then said, “If I give you an expensive present, will you let my friend go ?” “Certainly,” answered the bird-catcher. Whereupon, the tortoise …(46)… into the water and in a few seconds came up with a handsome pearl, which he presented to the bird-catcher. This was beyond the man’s expectations, and he let the peacock go immediately. A short time after, the bird-catcher came back and told the tortoise that he thought he had not paid enough for the release of his friend, and …(47)…, that unless a match to the pearl was obtained for him, he would catch the peacock again. The tortoise, who had already …(48)… his friend to shift to a distant jungle on being set free, was greatly …(49)… by the greed of the bird - catcher. “Well,” said the tortoise, “if you insist on having another pearl like the one I gave you, give it back to me and I will fish you an exact match for it.” The greediness of the bird-catcher prevented his reasoning and he …(50)… gave the pearl to the clever tortoise. The tortoise swam out with it saying, “I am no fool to give you another pearl, you’re greediness has left you with nothing.